Landlords face being hit in the pocket in a fresh crackdown on shopkeepers selling counterfeit cigarettes.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council raided 19 businesses and took 10 of them to court in 2017/18 after targeting traders who 'repeatedly supplied counterfeit and non-duty paid tobacco'.

But council bosses are concerned that property landlords - who lease out the shops - do not face any action from the courts and council.

Now rent paid out by the shopkeepers could be seized by the authorities under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The matter was debated at the latest meeting of the council's licensing and general purposes committee.

50,000 cigarettes and 21kg of hand-rolling tobacco were uncovered in a raid in Hanley (Image: Stoke-on-Trent City Council)

Public protection manager Martyn Brindley said: “Illicit tobacco is a problem we’re seeing more and more of. The people who organise this have their fingers in a lot of pies. The shopkeeper is the front person to take the rap if anything goes wrong.

“We’re going to landlords and saying that if your premises is involved in crime then actually the rent they’re paying could be seen as the proceeds of crime.”

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The council seized more than £100,000 worth of tobacco during one targeted week of action in 2017/18.

But Hanley shopkeeper George Boden says any action is 'too little too late'.

Counterfeit cigarettes seized at Market Street Mini Market in Longton

George, who has run his Stafford Street newsagents for 30 years, said: "The Government should have never done away with tobacco licensing. You used to have a licence for tobacco and alcohol, but now its just alcohol.

"If there was tobacco licensing then traders caught selling counterfeit tobacco could be banned.

"Illegal tobacco is rife throughout the country and I have met people who have had to close their businesses because someone has started selling illicit tobacco and cigarettes nearby.

"UK-duty paid cigarettes in the black or green packets cost at least £8-a-box - but counterfeit cigarettes can be picked up for £3 or £4-a-pack so legitimate retailers are being penalised."

And here's some of the cases...

Shopkeeper Borhun Abdullah was ordered to carry out unpaid work after illicit cigarettes and tobacco worth thousands of pounds were found in his store.

Trading Standards officials carried out two test purchases at Shelton’s Your Local Shop in 2017 and 2018 before returning to seize the items.

During one visit occasion, officers were able to buy 50g of counterfeit Amber Lead hand-rolling tobacco for £4 – significantly lower than the genuine retail value of £21.

Following the second test purchase, officers returned to the property and seized 582 packets of illegal and counterfeit cigarettes, and 64 packs of illegal and counterfeit hand-rolling tobacco from the shop.

Stoke-on-Trent Trading Standards said the goods had a retail value of £5,800, street value of £2,300 and the evasion of £4,600 tobacco duty

Abdullah, who owned the College Road store, was hit with a community order and told to pay more than £600 in costs after pleading guilty to offences relating to the sale of counterfeit and incorrectly labelled tobacco products from his shop.

The defendant, of Chorlton Road, Birches Head , also admitted failing to register as a food business.

Shop worker Sarko Ali was ordered to pay more than £1,400 after he had counterfeit cigarettes on sale.

The defendant, of Poplar Court, Cross Heath, was handed a 12-month conditional discharge.

Shopkeeper Dana Karim was ordered to pay more than £1,300 after he hid illegal tobacco in a wall cavity in his store.

The 38-year-old was arrested after trading standards carried out a raid at World Mini Market, in Piccadilly, Hanley, following a police tip-off.

Officers discovered a hidden compartment concealed in a wall behind the false backing of a sink cabinet during the bust in June last year.

Inside, they found 86 packs of cigarettes and 11 pouches of hand rolling tobacco with a combined street value of £1,100.

The arrest came just eight months after Karim was convicted of four charges of possessing for sale counterfeit tobacco at the same shop.

Karim, of Festival Close, Cobridge, was again been found guilty of one count of selling fake tobacco and seven of possessing counterfeit tobacco for sale following a trial at North Staffordshire Justice Centre.